A new survey by Deloitte Greece has revealed the complex reality for the country’s female workforce. While early-career optimism and workplace inclusion are high, a darker narrative emerges as women advance in their careers, in the form of staggering burnout rates, workplace harassment, and career penalties tied to caregiving.
The initiative, titled “Her Work. Her Voice.”, captured the lived experiences of 1,200 working women across nine key dimensions of professional life. On the surface, the professional landscape appears positive, with inclusive behaviors and practises generally present in working environments of Greek women.
According to the data, 43% of women are satisfied with their work environment, 15% are very satisfied, and 25% maintain a neutral stance.
Furthemore, 87% report experiencing workplace inclusion “at least sometimes”—breaking down to 23% “always,” 37% “often,” and 27% “sometimes.”
However, the study revealed that this initial positive climate steadily erodes as Greek women’s careers progress. Early-career professionals, specifically those aged 18 to 28, have strong confidence in equal promotion opportunities. Conversely, women over 61 see promotion opportunities as being either inconsistent or lacking.
A major dividing line is the intersection of work and home life. Nearly half of the respondents (49%) are involved in caregiving situations, primarily for children (35%) or elderly relatives (9%).
Though 54% report that caregiving has either not affected their career trajectories or they are unsure, a significant 42% explicitly state that caregiving negatively affected their career progression or access to opportunities.
This “caregiving penalty” hits its peak during the mid-career years, negatively impacting 52% of women aged 37 to 44, and remaining a hurdle for up to 43% of women aged 45 and older.
The physical and mental toll of balancing these compounding structural pressures is strongly felt. Despite 75% of women acknowledging that flexible working arrangements are offered at least sometimes, and 48% feeling supported by their supervisor in seeking flexibility, over half of the workforce (54%) describe their daily workload as anywhere from “sometimes overwhelming” to “very unmanageable.” Consequently, only 35% are satisfied with their current work-life balance, while 45% report more mixed feelings.
Most alarmingly, 80% of surveyed women admit to suffering from burnout. This exhaustion reaches critical levels in the middle and later career stages, affecting 88% of women aged 45 to 51, and 86% of those aged 37 to 44 and 61 and above.
Alongside grueling workloads, the Deloitte report also exposes a troubling culture of workplace misconduct. Over half of the respondents (51%) have experienced exclusionary or harassing behaviors at work. These incidents peak among the 29 to 36 age group. Yet, the vast majority of these offenses are buried in silence, as 65% of victims never reported the incidents to their employers.
The survey attributes this dangerous normalization of a toxic culture to a tendency to dismiss the severity of the behavior (16%), a fear of professional retaliation (21%), or simply a lack of knowledge on how to report it (11%).
When evaluating what keeps women in their current roles, retention is consistently driven by basic employment conditions rather than superficial perks. The top motivators for women in deciding to stay with a company are competitive salaries and benefits (15%), proper recognition and appreciation of work (14%), and clear pathways for career growth (13%). Flexible working hours (12%) follow closely behind, while opportunities for learning and professional development, supportive management and leadership, and job security/stability are all tied at 11%.
